1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to networks. Particularly, the present invention relates to reconfiguration of a network adapter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Traditional network environments use multiple network types for accomplishing different tasks. In a common scenario, a datacenter may have a Fibre Channel (FC) based storage area network (SAN) for data storage operations and an Ethernet based local area network (LAN) for interconnecting servers and individual workstations. Both FC and Ethernet may require distinct physical mediums, and consequently, the datacenter would require separate components, adapters, cables, switches, and network management entities. This multiplicity of networks not only increases costs, but also increases complexity.
One approach towards reducing costs and complexity proposes converging multiple networks into a single network, where the single network carries various traffic types of the other networks. For example, a converged enhanced Ethernet (CEE) network can use the Ethernet network as the single link, which carries multiple traffic types such as storage (e.g., FC), LAN, management, etc. One emerging industry standard is called the Fibre channel over Ethernet (FCoE or FCoCEE), which uses FC packets and commands normally used in Fibre Channel but encapsulates them in Ethernet packets. Despite the growing popularity of FCoE, it is understood that FC SANs will remain in use and continue to be installed for some time.
This developing situation of CEE networks and FC SANs presents problems for both manufactures and users. For a native connection to FC SAN, a Fibre channel host bus adapter (FC HBA) is needed. For connection to a CEE network, a converged network adapter (CNA) is needed. To alleviate the problems associated with investing and managing separate interface cards or boards, some manufactures have introduced network interfaces that can be configured to operate on a FC SAN, a CEE, or both. An exemplary block diagram of one such network interface card is shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 shows a server 101 connected to a network adapter 102 via a PCIe bus 106. Adapter 102 can include both FC HBA module 108 and CNA module 109. One or more ports of the adapter can be configured to couple to either the FC HBA module 108 or the CNA module 109. Configuration information can be stored in the memory 107. To actually configure the adapter, BIOS 104 in the server 101 accesses configuration information from the memory 107, and load the appropriate registers in the adapter 102. To change the configuration of the adapter 102, configuration information stored in memory 107 needs to be changed. Changing configuration information is typically possible only through the BIOS 104. Consequently, any management entity wanting to change the adapter configuration would have to communicate with the server BIOS 104 to affect such change.
Being dependent on the BIOS 104 for changing adapter 102 configuration can be cumbersome. For example, the server 101 would have to be powered on to allow access to the BIOS 104. Often when servers are not busy, they are shut down. Therefore, if the server 101 is shutdown, the adapter 102 cannot be reconfigured. Some methods use wake-on-LAN (WOL) operations to power on the server to allow access to the BIOS 104 and then carry out reconfiguration operations. But even in these methods, the server needs to be powered on in order to reconfigure it. Furthermore, reconfiguring the adapter 102 while it is powered up may disrupt its normal operations. Even further, a management entity wanting to reconfigure adapters in a server farm would have to be physically present at each and every server in order to carry out the reconfiguration.